I’m not the kind of person who willingly embraces blanket statements.  When I hear one of these unilateral claims, I tend to quietly start a fact-check in my mind to test the durability of that statement. But as I continue on my own...

  The omoplata has been about as illusive to me as a four-leaf clover. It seems like I’ve been able to acquire the position since the inception of my training, but the finish is incredibly rare. Many of us fall into the omoplata...

It is likely that you have, at some point in your life heard someone say “mindset is everything” in one way or another.  Jiu Jitsu is no exception. Your mindset in Jiu Jitsu is what will determine how people see you as a...

I find that deep half guard is one of those positions that we accidentally being falling in to. If you’ve been having some stints there, but have no formal training in the position, maybe it’s time to start learning. The deep half guard...

What are you doing on August 17th? If your answer isn’t “watching Kasai Pro 6”, then you should change your answer! Soon, some of the worlds best grapplers will be arriving in Atlantic City, New Jersey to participate in the 6th edition of...

So you took some time off and now you are looking to come back and start training again.  Or maybe you took some time off and now you are looking for the motivation to go back? Personally, I feel like taking more than...

With the evolution of Jiu Jitsu through digital content availability creating access to the highest level techniques out there today it makes sense that everyone is searching for the next “secret move”.  Let’s face it, we live in a time where if you...

Understanding the Difference Between Motivation and Discipline is Key to Your Success The internet and social media are filled with motivation memes.  It's like you can't scroll through Facebook or Instagram without seeing photos of lions, mountains, and shirtless athletes with less than...

Slow is smooth, smooth is fast. – You have likely heard this a time or two along your Jiu Jitsu journey.  It’s the truest statement of all I feel.  Famous words to live by for anyone training anything where muscle memory is a...

Could Your Mindset Be Standing In Your Way? The term "training plateau" is typically understood as the slowdown or leveling off of one's progress, improvement or gains.  The human body has an amazing ability to adapt to stress applied to it with the...

Every jiu-jitsu journey is unique to the practitioner, and over the past 12 years I’ve learned a lot of lessons and absorbed a lot of information. I’ve acquired an invaluable skill set that can never be taken from me, and that can only...

The ability to string together submission attacks becomes more and more crucial as you begin competing with higher level, more talented grapplers.  It’s no secret that we all train not only submissions, but submission escapes, so the ability to use a submission as...

Of all of the guard’s available half guard seems to be one of the most popular, likely because of its versatility and the fact that it is often times the first guard we explore after closed guard.  Or maybe it’s because of how...

Enjoy this exclusive look inside the Tom DeBlass Road to Black Belt and Beyond E-Book DISCIPLINE VERSUS MOTIVATION   Understanding the relationship between discipline and motivation, as well as the distinct differences between the two is crucial to one’s success on the Road...

The longer you train, the harder you have to work to finish a submission.   The reality of it is this, the longer you have been training, typically, the longer your opponent has been training as well.  That being said, it is becoming more...